Clamping device for belts.



.1?. W. SGHROEDBR.

CLAMPING DEVICE PoR BELTS.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 1, 1912.

1,086,090. Patented Feb.s,1914.

111111 ,1l/ll "'Illllllllllllllllll/ WITNESSES: .E15 f ll." INVENTOR" m7% FEBBRE-KEW Eckrneae,

J/ I My W W M entran sTATns PATENT oneion FREDERICK W. SCHROEDER, OFNEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

CLAMPING- DEVICE FOR BELTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Application filed May 1, 1912. Serial No. 694,320.

` Clamping Devices for Belts; andI do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art'to Vwhich it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tocharacters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification. A

This invention has reference, generally, to improvements in clasps orholding devices; and the present invention relates, more particularly,to a novel clamp orholding device which is especially adapted for use inconnection with the respective end-portions of belts, such as are wornwith garments, but which may also be put to various other uses.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide a noveland simply constructed clasp or fastener for belts and other uses, witha view o-f producing a clasp or fastener in which the parts have beenreduced to a minimum, and in which the parts are of a strongconstruction, being provided with a spring-actuated clamping member orelement, which, when the clasp is in its operative relation with theend-portion of a belt, firmly and positively clamps or grasps the saidend-portion of the belt, so that no matter how great the pull or strain,the clasp or fastener will not become displaced, but can be readilyremoved or adjusted by the manipulation of the clamping member orelement by the operator.

lVith the various objects of the present invention in view, the saidinvent-ion consists, primarily, of the novel form of beltclasp orfastener hereinafter more particularly set forth, and finally embodiedin the clauses of the claim which are appended to this specification,and form an essential part of the same.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drwings, in which :f-

f'w/ i a side elevation of a belt-clasp iade according to and embody-Viples of the present invention, wing in connection therewith, he twoend-portions of a belt "-,clasp or fastener is employed.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional representation of thebelt-clasp and the one end-portion of the belt, said view being made onanV enlarged scale and said view representing the clasp or fastener inits clasped or holding relation with the said end-portion of the belt;Fig. 3 is a similar sectional representation of the same parts, butshowing the clamping element of the clasp or fastener in its releasedrelation from the endportion ofthe belt; and Fig. 4 is a transversesectionalrepresentation, taken on line v4--4 in Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrow a", said view being also made on an enlargedscale.

Similar characters of reference are employed inall of the abovedescribed views, to indicate corresponding parts.V

Referring now to the several figures of the drawings, thereference-numeral 1 indicates the complete belt-clasp or fastener madeaccording to and embodying 'the principles of the present invent-ion,and the same comprises a suitably formed and ornamental face-plate 2which is preferably outwardly convexed, substantially as shown in theseveral figures of the drawings, the said faceplate being provided atits opposite and longitudinally extending marginal edgeportions withdownwardly extending ribl'ike flanges 3. At or near the one end of eachflange is a downwardly extending projection, as 4, each projection 4being suitably bent, as at 5, and being formed with an inwardlyextending finger or holding member 6, the two inwardly extending fingersorv holding-members 6 providing a suitable securing bar to which may besuitably secured the loop-shaped end-portion S of the end 7 of the belt.At the other end of each flange 3 is a downwardly extending pivot-ear 9,each ear being provided with a perforation 10, and one of said earsbeing formed with an inwardly extending holding tongue or lug 11 whichis suitably pressed out of the metal ear, as will be clearly seen froman inspection of Fig. 4 of the drawings. Suitably arranged between thesaid pivot-ears 9, with its end-portions mounted in the perforations 10,is a sup-porting pin or rod 12, and pivotally mounted upon the said pinor rod 12 is the belt-clamping member hereinabove mentioned. Thisbelt-clamping member consists, essentially, of a pair of bodyportions 13and 14, which are angularly connected with each other, preferably at aright angle as shown, and are connected at both ends by perforatedear-like pivot-iiiciiibeis 15 by means of which the said belt-clampingmember is also pivotally or oscilliit'orily mounted upon thc pin or rod12. The bodyportion 'I provides a suitable clamping member, the marginaledge-portion 16 of which is the grasping edge of the same which isadapted to be brought into clamped or grasped relation with theend-portion, 17 or' the belt. The other body-portion 14 is formed with asuitably curved and downwardly bent edge-portion 18 which provides asuitable linger-piece for the purposes to `be presently forth.Encircling that portion of the pin or rod .12 between the said ear-likepivot-members 15 is a helical or coiled spring 19, said springhaving itsone free end-portion 2() extending beyond the edgeuof the ear-likepivot-member 15 and y,arranged Vin holding engagement between the innersurface ofthe one downwardly extending pivotear S) and the inwardlyextending holding tongue or lug connected therewith. The other freeend-portion 21 of the said spring, as will be seen from Figs, 2, 3 and lof the drawings, bears in a downward direction upon the upper surface ofthe previously mentioned body-portion 111 with the result that thegrasping edge `16 of the body-portion 13 is rmly forced against theunder surface or" the end-portion 17 of the belt, as clearly shown insaid Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will be fully evident from an inspectionof said Fig. 2 that no matter how strong or great a pull is exerted inthe direction of the arrow yupon the end-portion 17 ofthe belt, the saidgrasping edge 16 of the body-portion 13 will not become displaced andthe greater the pull the more positively will the end-portion 17 of thebelt be connected or secured to the face-plate 2 of the clasp orfastener 1. i

In order to release the clasp or fastener 1 from its holding relationwith the end-portion 17 of the belt, all that is necessary, is to applya light pressure in an upward direction. upon the finger-piece 1S ofthebodyportion 14;, whereby the grasping edge 16 of the body-portion 13 isreadily released, as will be clearly evident; or, if thebelt is to betightened or adjusted, while in Aposition upon the body of the wearer, apull upon the free end-portion of the belt inthedirection of the arrowsee Fig. 1, will permit the belt-portion to readily slip over thegrasp'- ing edge 16, but will immediately be held .in its positivelyclampedy relation to said edge as soon as the pull in the direction ofthe arrow is removed.

From the foregoing description of the present invention, it will beclearly seen that l have devised a simply constructed beltclasp orfastener which can be cheaply made, and the grasping and pulling actionof which is most positive, no matter how great the" strain or pull, sothat the belt will be properly. retained in its secured relation abbutth'ebdy of the wearer.

l claim 1.' A belt-clasp or fastener comprising a face-plate vhzwingdownwardly and longitudinally extending marginal rib-like members, saidmembers being provided at one end with means for permanently securingthe one end-portionof a belt thereto, and a clamping member ,consistingof a pair of angularly dis'p'osed `4b*dy-porti'ons, and a pair ofperforated ear-likepivot-members c'onnecting said body-portions, asupporting pin entf-ending through said ear-like pivot-members, saidwpinhaving vits end-pbrtibns connected with the said marginal rib-liltelmeinbers, oneiofsaid body-portions being formed with a finger-piece, aninwardly projecting tongue connected with' one of said rib-like members,and a coiled springarranged between said angularly disposedbody-portio-ns and the pivot-members of said clamping member, saidspring encircling said supporting pin between the said ear-likepivotmembers, said spring having its one free end-portion in holdingengagement with said tongue an`d said spring having its other freeend-portion inpbearing engagement with said ingerpieceprovidedbodyportion for normally forcing the said grasping edge in a directiontoward the under surface of the face-plate of the belt-clasp orfastener. A

2. A belt clasp or fastener comprising a face-plate having 4downwardlyand longitudinally entending rib-like members, downwardly, extendingprojections at one end of said rib-lilemembers, and inwardly extendinglingers vconnected with said projections providingm'eans for permanentlysecuring the one end-portion of a belt thereto, downwardlyextendingpivot-ears connected with the other ends of said rib-like` members, anda clamping member pivotally mounted between said pivot-eais, saidclamping member consisting of a pair of angularly disposedbody-portions,` and a pair of perforated ear-like Vpivot-membersconnecting said body-portions, a supporting pin extending through saidear-liker pivot-members, said pin having its end-portions mountedl insaid pivot-ears, one of said body-portions having a grasping edge, andthe other body- Jo'rtioii being` formed with a finger )ieee an inwardlyprojecting tongue connected with one of said pivot-ears, and a coiledspring arranged between said angularly disposed body-portions and vthepivot-members of said clamping member, said springv encircling saidsupporting'- pin between the said ear-like pivot-members, said springhaving its one free end-portion hin holding engagement with said tongue,and said spring ha* ing its other free end-portion in bearing-ensetforth above I have hereunto set my hand gagenient with saidfingerpieee-provided this 27th day of April, 1912. body-portion fornormally forcing the said grasping edge in a direction toward the un-FREDERICK W' SCHROEDER' der surface of the face-plate of the belt-Witnesses:

clasp or fastener. FREDK. C. FRAENTZEL,

In testimony, that I claim the invention FREDK. H. W. FRAENTZEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

